Meet Emily Blaylock | Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Blaylock and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Singing in front of people for the first time is a risk. Singing in front of people for the hundredth time is a risk. Valuing your own thoughts enough to say them, to sing them, to share them… is such a risk. I have been writing and singing songs for ten years, and I still feel the risk every time. I am fascinated by the momentary decision to take the risk – and the world of discovery on the other side. I am a cheerleader of every artist – no matter the skill level or genre – because I am floored by people who risk to create and are bold enough to share. I love to see what comes out of people when they are honest and allow it to flow. I think this genuine enjoyment I find comes from a deep belief that life is inherently beautiful, truthful, and good. When people allow art (life) to move through them and are open enough not to stifle it, good things happen. It’s not easy, and the inner critic is strong in most of us. Stronger still in those of us who have been told in one way or another that the art we gravitate towards is not for us. I didn’t grow up being encouraged to sing – it came from within and I had to trudge through barriers of criticism and fear to emerge and claim “artist”, “songwriter”, and “singer”. Because of this journey of risk, I set out to create community around songwriting in my city. It started off with six women and has grown into a small network of producers, songwriters, and creatives in South Florida. What we have in common is the willingness to risk and the solidarity to support one another in the risk. I have found that the anecdote to stopping art before it starts is a safe, supportive community. I think this applies to every career path that involves your heart and soul. Can you imagine a world where more people took the risk to pay attention to their inner world and share it with others? To me personally, this is all songwriting is. And I plan to continue doing it, in community, as long as I possibly can.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a sensitive and introspective person, my songwriting is a thread I follow to understand my inner world and give voice to things I need to hear. In sharing it with others, I found that I felt both terrified of the vulnerability and incredibly seen when a song was received warmly and with reverence. My songs are best felt and experienced more so than heard, which requires a bit of audience participation. I am thankful to the people who have pondered the lyrics on a plane ride and shared their reflections with me. I am thankful to the people who have allowed a tear to fall on the back patio of Respectable Street listening to an unrecorded song they had never heard before. I am thankful to spaces like my songwriting group, who willingly listen knowing that in listening, they will feel. I am thankful to venues like Wood Hall in West Palm Beach for curating listening rooms for songwriters to share their work in a hospitable space. As an artist, I am committed to staying connected to that thread because it gives me life. Every step of forging a new song is sacred to me, almost liturgical. I have a great respect for time and process, and I firmly believe that creating with community results in more interesting art. Seeing what chemical reaction happens between artists weaving their own threads into a piece is pure magic to me. It is hard work, but I truly trust and enjoy the process. I hope that with every song, show, group, album – whatever I create – the message gets across: you are a sacred, creative person. You have something to share. You can benefit from your own creative process. You don’t have to do it alone.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Lake Worth Beach, and I love this city. Oceano Kitchen is a place of art in fresh, local, delightful cuisine. Common Grounds coffee is a must. POYO South, a pop-up community yoga class on Monday evenings, is a treasure. After a day at the beach, a cocktail at The Library is in order. My favorite thing about the city is walking to as many places as I can – or nowhere at all. It is beautiful.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to Providencia WPB, especially Danny Brunjes for believing in me as a writer and singer and giving me space to grow, and Sarah Claire Smith Colling, who forged the Story Groups that inspired the songwriting collective.

Website: https://linktr.ee/emilyblaylockmusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emblaylock/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@emilyblaylockmusic3232